The three village schools are celebrating an abundance of wins at this year's Alderley Edge Music Festival.
Twenty-five children from The Ryleys performed from the ages of 5 through to 11. The week started off well with The Ryleys Chamber Choir performing in a highly competitive Year 6 and under class and they were awarded second place. The Ryleys Junior Choir also performed to a high standard with two very emotive songs, 'I Am The Earth' and 'Sambalele, they were awarded third place.
In the individual classes, 17 children from The Ryleys entered a number of classes including brass grade one to three, piano and rock guitar. Eight children were awarded first place including Charlie McGrath who was awarded first place for Brass Class Grades 1-2, which was a significant achievement given that he has not even taken a Grade test yet.
Annabel Thompstone was a major competitor too for The Ryleys scooping up three individual awards including first in the Year six musical class, first place for piano and second for the Year Six vocal class, which was a particularly difficult category, in which 19 children entered.
Eight children from The Ryleys were awarded second place including, Charlie McGrath, Seb Stewart, Freddie Savage, Freya Murry and Seb Irwin who all played the piano as well as George Green who was awarded second for grade four cello.
Whilst four children were placed third in equally competitive classes including Sienna Given, Frankie Coglan and Tav Hammersley, who all played the piano and Harry Dhoot who played in his own choice prep test.
Headteacher, Mrs Claire Hamilton, said: "This is a wonderful achievement for all the children who entered the Alderley Edge Festival. We have a very strong music department with extremely talented children and staff. I am so pleased that we have festivals such as this so that children have the opportunity to shine and experience the joys of public performance."
Director of Music at The Ryleys School, added: "I am extremely proud of all the children who performed in this year's festival and I would like to thank all of our visiting music teachers for helping the children achieve such very high standards."
This year many children from Year 4 and some from Year 6 at Alderley Edge Community Primary School took part in the drama element of the festival. There were so many entrants that the children were split between 6 classes.
The children spent months learning and perfecting their poems, giving very convincing performances and Jack Everett, Polly Thorp and Laura Maclean took joint 3rd place in one of the Year 4 classes.
Mrs Roberts said, "I am so proud of all the children; it is very daunting standing up in front of so many people and performing. They were brilliant!"
The girls at AESG also had a very successful week with Eleanor and Vivian both being awarded first place for their string solos and Emily from Year 5 came first for her vocal solo performance. The Junior Choir and Small Choral Group both came second and in the individual classes Darcey, Grace and Emily were awarded second place.
Additionally Alderley Edge School for Girls picked up a haul of awards in the verse speaking and drama classes with first places for Katie in Year 1, Daisy in Year 4, Annabelle and Niamh in Year 5 and Mille, Ruby and Sascha in Year 5. Whilst Livvy in Year 1, Ava in Year 2, Sophie in Year 4, Isabelle and Emma in Year 4 and Alice, Jessica, Verity and Edie in Year 5 all came second.
LAMDA teacher Miss Flint said "They all got very high marks and the standard was so high this year that they all deserve a trophy!"
Organisers of the 100th Alderley Edge Festival for Music, Speech and Drama welcomed over 2,700 performers for the five day event held in venues around the village, including local schools, churches and the recently refurbished Festival Hall.
This year there were over 120 music classes and over 50 speech and drama classes ranging from beginners to Grade 8 in music and top grades in speech and drama.
The 100th Alderley Edge Festival of Music, Speech and Drama concluded on the Saturday evening with the Festival Finale, when the 'best-of-the-best' were invited to perform once again at the Festival Hall.
